Lanzhou tap water tainted with benzene

Residents in Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China's Gansu province, snapped up bottled water on Friday after the city's tap water was found to be polluted by benzene, a toxic cancer-causing chemical, China News Service reported.

The public's panic buying came after Veolia Water, the major drinking water supplier, detected high levels of benzene in its water sample — one that was 11 to 20 times the limit of 10 micrograms per liter of water — between Thursday night and Friday morning.

The city's Xigu district cut off the water supply, and Lanzhou's environmental protection department said an investigation is underway.